How Can I Avoid Jail for Back Child Support?

Question of the Day:

a consent pendente order was filed by my lawyer without me viewing the final document and now i am being held in contempt of court for back child support what can i do to explain or solve how i never saw the final document and avoid jail? – Kevin

Answer:

Kevin: When you hire a lawyer to represent you in court, that lawyer becomes your agent.  So I don’t think you will be successful with a defense that you never saw the document.  You do not say whether the amount of child support is correct or not based on your income.  If not, you may have a claim against the lawyer.  The only defense is that you do not have the present ability to pay the amount due and the order needs to be modified.